PKR Youth members stage protest outside Japanese embassy

KUALA LUMPUR: Around 30 Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth members staged a protest outside the Japanese embassy here after their leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was barred from entering the country and subsequently deported on Jan 19.

The group, led by Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin also handed a memorandum of protest to the Japanese Ambassador Shigeru Nakamura, calling for an explanation on the incident, since the Opposition leader had no problems entering the country in 2009 and 2012.

Though he said it was not an official stance by the party wing, some members were seen carrying and burning placards with messages calling for a boycott of Japanese products.

The group dispersed peacefully at around 12.30pm.

"We strongly believe that the Japan Government's actions were extraordinary, unwarranted and violates Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," said the Bukit Katil MP.

Anwar arrived at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 6.45am Sunday and was to present a paper on Muslim Democrats.

He said the Japanese Immigration officials had explained that he was denied entry because of a previous conviction in 1999, and was asked to board the first flight back.

Shamsuk Iskandar said he had questioned embassy officials on who was updating the Japanese authorities on Anwar’s cases, to which he said no answer was given.

"I fully agree that his was politically motivated. We would like to known who is updating them on the case against Anwar, because he was allowed to enter the country before without issues.

"We are worried why Japan is following this trend when it is a democratic country?" he said, referring to the barring of Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon in Kuala Lumpur last year.

PKR Youth also called on the Foreign Affair Ministry to issue a strong statement against the deportation of one of its citizens.